Batman RIP-off

Batman #681 came out today, concluding the much-hyped, overly-cross-overed storyline that ran through all the bat titles and some of "the outsiders".

A few weeks ago I sold the other bat-books related to this series. I feel like DC really shouldn't have marketed all the bat-books as being part of RIP. The main storyline was all in "Batman" and spending money on the others was a waste. (Except for "Outsiders", which I get anyway.)

This whole ride has been pretty convoluted and incoherant for me and in the end I'm still left going "huh?" at a few things. Overall, I have to say that I could have done without this story. Unless something happens in the next issue, I have no reason to think this has been a redefining moment for Batman. And the fact that they are starting a new story arc called "Last Rites" just feels like they're trying to milk an expired cow.

About a year ago it felt like the best time in the world to be a DC fan. But with the lackluster Countdown series, a less than fantastic "Infinite Crisis", Flash sucking over-all, Pa Kent getting killed, JLA focusing on third string heroes... it seems like a pretty mixed bag right now. JSA, Green Lantern, Secret Six and a couple other books remain strong, but I'm hoping things will look better for all of these great characters after Infinite Crisis is over and the new year gets underway.